F-15E Weapons Officer Rescued Deep Inside Iran After 24-Hour Manhunt
U.S. special operations forces rescued an F-15E Strike Eagle crew member deep inside Iran in a high-risk mission that involved dozens of American aircraft and hundreds of special operations troops.
The F‑15E was shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday, forcing both the pilot and weapons systems officer to eject, according to U.S. officials. The pilot was rescued soon after, but the second airman, whom Trump described as a “highly respected Colonel” spent more than 24 hours evading capture in the mountainous region before being recovered by U.S. forces
Trump announced the rescue in a post on Truth Social, describing the operation as one of the most complex in U.S. military history.
“We got him! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History,” Trump said.
“At my direction, the U.S. military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the world, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump added.
Trump said the rescues of the pilot and the weapons systems officer marked the first time U.S. airmen had been recovered separately from deep inside enemy territory.
The New York Times reported that the F-15E went down in a part of Iran less supportive of the government, which may have aided the airman’s survival. Iranian forces also reportedly searched the area and offered locals a $60,000 reward for his capture.
Journalist Barak David reported that before the WSO was located, the CIA initiated a deception effort inside Iran aimed at creating the impression that U.S. forces had already found the airman and were moving him overland for extraction.
A U.S. official said the CIA used its capabilities to locate the downed officer. “This was the ultimate needle in a haystack, but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA’s capabilities,” the official said.
According to reports, two aircraft, likely MC-130J Commando II used to extract the WSO, got stuck on sand during the rescue operations. U.S. commanders responded by deploying three additional aircraft to complete the extraction of all personnel and ordered the stranded planes destroyed on the ground to prevent sensitive equipment from falling into Iranian hands.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) public affairs office accused Trump of fabricating a successful rescue to conceal “a heavy defeat.”
Iran’s armed forces claimed they shot down the U.S. aircraft, including two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130, in a joint operation involving the IRGC, Basij forces and police commandos.
Images and video released by Iranian state-affiliated media showed the aftermath of the operation at a remote site in Isfahan province, including the wreckage of multiple aircraft.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf shared an image from the wreckage site on X and wrote: “If the United States gets three more victories like this, it will be utterly ruined.”
